n.
Pronunciation: ' wet
Function: adjective
Inflected Form: wet · ter ; wet · test
Etymology: Middle English, partly from past participle of weten to wet & partly from Old English w ǣ t wet; akin to Old Norse v ā tr wet, Old English wæter water
Date: before 12th century
1 a : consisting of, containing, covered with, or soaked with liquid (as water) b of natural gas : containing appreciable quantities of readily condensable hydrocarbons
2 : RAINY < wet weather>
3 : still moist enough to smudge or smear < wet paint>
4 a : DRUNK 1A <a wet driver> b : having or advocating a policy permitting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages <a wet county> <a wet candidate>
5 : preserved in liquid
6 : employing or done by means of or in the presence of water or other liquid < wet extraction of copper>
7 : overly sentimental
8 British a : lacking strength of character : WEAK , SPINELESS <thought him wet and violence petrified him ― William Golding> b : belonging to the moderate or liberal wing of the Conservative party
– wet · ly adverb
– wet · ness noun
– all wet : completely wrong : in error
– wet behind the ears : IMMATURE , INEXPERIENCED
synonyms WET , DAMP , DANK , MOIST , HUMID mean covered or more or less soaked with liquid. WET usually implies saturation but may suggest a covering of a surface with water or something (as paint) not yet dry <slipped on the wet pavement>. DAMP implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture <clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place>. DANK implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness <a prisoner in a cold, dank cell>. MOIST applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry <treat the injury with moist heat>. HUMID applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air <a hot, humid climate>.